Cameron: 'No Cuts To Frontline Spending'

David Cameron has said he would not cut "frontline spending" if elected, but has again admitted his party's plans to fill Britain's economic "black hole" do not go far enough.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, the Tory leader also accused the Prime Minister of "twisting" the Conservatives' words.

Gordon Brown should be acting responsibly, he said, "but instead is acting completely irresponsibly and is taking our words and twisting them, putting our policies in the most misleading way".

No opposition had ever set out much detail on cutting spending, he said, but added: "I know what we've said isn't enough to fill the black hole left by 13 years of Labour government."

And Mr Cameron went on: "Any Cabinet minister, if we win the election, who comes to me and says 'here are my plans and they involve front line reductions' will be sent back to their department to go away and think again."

The Tory leader refused to pledge that all shadow Cabinet ministers would automatically take their government roles if the party is successful on May 6.

Mr Brown, meanwhile, has launched an attack on the personality and policies of Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg.

He told The Observer: "We're talking about the future of our country. We're not talking about who's going to be the next presenter of a TV game show."

Mr Brown described Lib Dem policies on immigration and tax as "the sort of stuff you do when you're at a dinner party looking at your policies and writing them on the back of an envelope".

But Mr Clegg told the Independent on Sunday that Labour was facing an "existential crisis" after an election in which it faced being replaced by the Lib Dems as the main progressive force in British politics.

"They've really got to go right back to fundamentals," said Mr Clegg. "What on Earth is the point of the Labour Party in these changed circumstances?

"What kind of brand of progressive politics does Labour possess in terms of the battle of ideas?"